Concluding the week with some uplifting nuggets of good news.
Progress in India as the state of Uttarakand, which lies in the foothills of the majestic Himalayas, now allows married women co-ownership of their husbands’ ancestral property. It’s the first Indian state to do so, though local politicians hope it won’t be the last - not to mention women everywhere else on the sub-continent!
In more good news for the rights of the oppressed, Joe Biden's administration has put the brakes on a controversial land deal that would have given a sacred Native American site to a multinational mining company. The handover had been rushed to completion in Trump's waning days in an effort to give Resolution Copper control over Arizona’s Oak Flat region before or soon after Trump left office.
27 years alone in the wilderness: At the age of 20, Christopher Knight parked his car on a remote trail in Maine and walked away into the woods and the lakes with only the most basic supplies. He had no plan. His chief motivation was to avoid contact with people. He got that idea before the rest of us! But what did he learn?
Low-traffic neighbourhoods in London, which use filters to reduce motor traffic on residential streets, do not disproportionately benefit more privileged communities, the most comprehensive study of their rollout so far has concluded. In fact the opposite is true: low-traffic schemes mostly benefit deprived neighbourhoods. The research demolishes the main argument by opponents of such schemes: that they tend to shunt vehicles from richer residential areas on to roads lived in by more deprived people.
Hope you like jabbin' too: After Dolly Parton reprised her smash hit (replacing Jolene with vaccine) to celebrate getting her jab, a slew of other song variations have been suggested.
Founded in 1958, the Country Music Association is the first trade organization formed to promote a type of music. Whether you're a fan of the genre or not, you'll be pleased to know that the CMA has generously committed $3m to help support struggling musicians during these difficult times, through its Music Industry COVID Support (MICS) initiative.
Ancient Roman chariot discovered: Archeologists describe the chariot as “exceptional”. It's decorated with male and female erotic figures, and was found near the town of Pompeii, where it was buried in volcanic ash after Vesuvius erupted in AD 79.
Cancel all planned coal projects globally to end “deadly addiction” to the most polluting fossil fuel, says UN secretary-general António Guterres, adding that "phasing out coal from the electricity sector is the single most important climate issue". Agreed! Now please push really, really hard to get it done.
Good news for Peaky Blinders fans as filming for the sixth series gets underway in Manchester. The BBC drama has been running for eight years and has enjoyed huge popularity but this is the final one, with creator Steven Knight confirming the story will return 'in another form'.
World's first electric classic Bentley: a beautiful 1961 Continental S2 Flying Spur.
As any Antique’s Roadshow devotee can tell you, few things rhyme better with “Ker-ching!” than Ming. Ming Dynasty, that is. One lucky guy purchased a bowl at a Connecticut yard sale for $35 and subsequently had it appraised as a 15th-century Ming treasure. The lovely lotus bowl goes on sale at Sotheby's later this month with an estimated value of between $300,000 to $500,000. Ker-ching!
500 years ago a man with no formal training built the world's largest dome in Florence, Italy. It's still the world's largest masonary dome! This charming 4 minute video from NatGeo explains how Filippo Brunelleschi did it...